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A gender perspective on the use of supplemental healthcare plans

Because employer‐provided health coverage represents the main source of health insurance for Americans and its costs for employees are rising, accurate knowledge about health coverage would seem to be crucial for making sound decisions on choosing the plans that best meet the specific needs of a fam...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of consumer studies 2005-07, Vol.29 (4), p.319-331
Main Authors: Hira, Tahira K., Loibl, Cäzilia
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Because employer‐provided health coverage represents the main source of health insurance for Americans and its costs for employees are rising, accurate knowledge about health coverage would seem to be crucial for making sound decisions on choosing the plans that best meet the specific needs of a family. However, previous research suggests that most employees have little understanding of the scope and monetary value, or even the existence of many components of their health benefit package. This paper re‐examines employees’ general financial learning efforts and knowledge level, and how they relate to participation in and importance attached to supplemental healthcare plans. We find that, while self‐directed financial learning and general financial knowledge significantly predicted plan participation and the importance attached to them, demographic factors, such as gender, age and job classification, dominated the supplemental healthcare decisions.
ISSN:1470-6423
1470-6431
DOI:10.1111/j.1470-6431.2005.00440.x